Sheri and I decided to travel to Nicaragua to visit my friend Craig who was in the Peace Corps. It would be an adventurous journey. I bought the book, “Central America on a Shoestring Budget,” published by Lonely Planet Press. The only reservation we made for a two week journey was a one way ticket into Managua, Nicaragua, and another one way ticket from Costa Rica back to the Los Angeles International Airport. We didn’t pack suitcases. We packed backpacks. The plan was to travel by bus from Managua to Estelí. The bus we got at the airport was not a greyhound bus, no seats that recline, no AC, and definitely no toilet. It was a school bus. There wasn’t any room for our backpacks, so the driver let us put them at the front on top of the engine. We kept a close eye on them as we drove north into the mountains. The closer we got to Estelí the more road construction there was. Travel slowed to a crawl. By the time we reached the small city of Estelí the roads were totally torn apart with countless people working.
Have you ever seen people building roads in a developing country? It’s a little bit different than what you might be used to. Think of cobblestone roads. Construction workers pour concrete footings and curbs only. The middle section has dirt that is tamped down and then bricks or stones are meticulously laid down in rows under yellow strings that are pulled tight as a guide to make the road level. Finally we lurched into the bus depot in Estelí and there was my friend Craig waiting patiently with a big smile. He welcomed us, and asked how the drive was. I said that it was slow because of all of the road construction. Sheri didn’t say much at all. I think maybe she was in shock. I asked Craig why there was so much construction. He laughed and said that it was because an election was coming up. The local governor was up for re-election. He had run on a platform of improving roads and infrastructure a few years ago. Now he was attempting to get the work done to prove that he was worth earning another term. Craig said that most people thought it was hilarious because the election is in a couple of weeks, so there’s not a whole lot that he can get done. The people were frustrated at the government for not caring for them, and for making life difficult.
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People in the time of John the Baptize were also frustrated with the government and religious leaders. The problem was that the temple based religion had become corrupt. It was expensive and burdensome for most people to physically travel to Jerusalem, go to the Temple, exchange Roman money for the Temple currency, and then buy an animal sacrifice to give to the priest in order to have their sins forgiven. It was a lot of expensive work! Does this remind you of anything?
During the time of Martin Luther it was also expensive and burdensome for most ordinary people to buy or earn and indulgence that would give them the assurance of sins forgiven and religious salvation. Luther studied the Bible and discovered that salvation couldn’t be bought or sold, or even earned, but that it was a free gift given by God to all of creation. You are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Luther took it as his life’s mission to proclaim the Word of God and make it available to as many people as possible.
John the Baptizer also had a mission to proclaim the Word of God. He called people to repentance, baptized them in the River Jordan, which is how he gets his name, and declared to people the forgiveness of their sins. In other words John preached the grace of God that forgives, and not the work of going to Jerusalem and abiding by all of the rules to have one’s sins forgiven. John took his inspiration from the prophet Isaiah of whom we read and study today. Isaiah in chapter forty encourages comfort for the people. He says that the people have already suffered and paid double for all of their sins, and that now God has forgiven their sins.
John the Baptizer joins ranks with Isaiah and all of the prophets throughout history to call the people to have faith. God will come to be with you, and to save you. John says that the one who is coming is greater than he. He will baptize with fire of the Holy Spirit, and he is so great that John isn’t worthy to touch his feet. The Lord will come at any moment. God will come like a thief in the night. Remember that a day for God is like a thousand years for us, and that a thousand years for God is like a day for us. So have faith that God forgives you, and that God will save you from sin, death, and the devil.
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What you can do, says John with Isaiah, is to prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. God will be patient with you as you prepare the way. When Sheri and I traveled to Nicaragua we saw people working hard to create good roads. When we got off the road and went into the town square we carried our backpacks with us. They were heavy. We could not roll them on the ground because the didn’t have wheels, and even if they did the ground was too bumpy to roll them along anyway. We walked to city square not far from the Bus Depot. Craig told us to take off our backpacks and set them down. It would be much easier to give us a tour this way. I asked if there were lockers or some place we should leave them that was safe. He said that it would be safe to leave them right there on a bench in the square, in the middle of this little city. I looked around to assess the situation.
I saw a woman selling food. She was right next to us. She had tacos and sandwiches arranged on platters and the whole thing was covered with plastic to keep the bugs and critters away in the high altitude semi tropical environment. She had a swatter to help her get rid of the bugs. She looked at us and smiled. In the other direction a man with a cowboy hat was walking a very large pig. A rope was tied around its neck. He held a few loops of rope and with the other end he would hit the pig’s butt to get it to walk. It would let out a little squeal take a few steps and then he would swat it again. There were children everywhere laughing and looking at us. There was a tall Catholic church on one side of the square and closer to us a convenience store selling what was advertised to be the coldest beer in Nicaragua. I looked at Craig like he was crazy. Are you sure we should leave our things here unattended?
Craig smiled and laughed again. He said that if we were in a big city like Managua we should be careful. But here in this place everybody knows everybody, and traditional family and religious values rule supreme. He said that if anyone touched our bags the rest of the town would swoop on them and they would live with scorn and embarrassment for the rest of their days as a person so inconsiderate as to steal from a foreigner. He looked at me and his face communicated nonverbally as if to say, “Have faith.”
Faith is about laying down your burdens and realizing that your hard work isn’t going to save you. Insisting on carrying my earthly possessions throughout the town would not save anything but just waste our time and energy. I was a complete stranger to these people but they welcomed us with hospitality and grace. For the next few days we ate the most delicious food of “gallo pinto” black beans and rice with homemade goat cheese. We drank coffee that was sweeter than Coca Cola and cookies that were saltier than saltines. We had naca tamales with chicken bones inside of them because it added more flavor. We didn’t earn any of it. We didn’t deserve any of it. It was God’s pure grace given to us by some of the most economically poor people I have ever met. These were a people of faith. These were people who were prepared for surprise guests. These were a people who laughed at their local politician trying to earn last minute favors by fixing the road into town. They had already made the most important preparations. These were a people who had prepared the royal highway of their hearts. These were a people of faith calling us to faith. They are calling to me now still. They are calling you too. Prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare your heart. Have faith that God will come. Amen.
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